Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-02-03

his habits At present the mine was his only
mistress, claiming his entire time, exasperat-
ing him with ficklenesS, but still requiring
that supreme devotion Of which his nature
was capable 1t is possible that Miss Carmen
saw this too, and so set about with feminine
tact, if not to supplement- at least to make
her rival less pertinacious and absorbing.
Apart from this object she zealously labored
IN her profession, yet with small pecuniary
result, fear Local art was at discount in
California. The scenery of the country had
not yet become famous; rather it was re-
served for certain eastern artist, already
famous, to make it 50; and people cared little
for the reproduction, under their very noses,
Of that which they. saw continually with their
own eyes and valued not. So that little Mistress
Carmen was fain to divert her artist soul to
support her plump little material body: and
made divers excursions into the regions Of
ceramic art, painting on velvet, Illuminating
misSals, decorating china, and the Ike l
have in my possession some wax fiowers-a
startling fuchsia and bewildering dahlia--
sold for mere pittance by this little lady,
foreign exhibition, shortly after she had been
half starved by a California public, and
claimed by a California press rs its fostered
child Of genius
Of these struggles and triumphS Thatcher
had no knowledge; yet he was perhaps more
startled than he would own to himself when,
one December day, he received this dispatch:
~ Coma 70 o.
De Haro."
Carmen De Harol" | grieve to state that
such was the preoccupation of this man,
elected by fate to be the hero of the solitary
amatory episode OF this story, that for a
moment he could not recall her. When the
honest little figure that had so manfully stood
up against him, and had proved her sex by
afterwards running away from him, came
back at last to his memory, he was at first
mystified and then self reproachfuL He had
been, he felt vaguely, untrue to himself. He
had been remiss to the esef-confesse1 daughter
of his enemy Yet why should she telegraph
to him, and what was she doing in Washing
ton. To all these speculations it is to be said
to his credit that he looked for no sentimental
or romantic answer Royal Thatcher was
naturally modest and self-depreciatng in his
relations to the other sex, as indeed most men
who are apt to be successful with women
generally are, despite vast degree of super
annuated bosh to the contrary. TO the half
dozen women who are startled by sheer au-
dacity into submission there are scores who
are piqued by a self-respectful patience; and
where a woman has to do half the wOoing,
she generally makes pretty sure thing of it.
In his bewilderment Thatcher had over
looked letter lying on his table. 1t was
from his Washington lawyer The conclud-
ing paragraph caught his cye-"Perhaps 1T
would be well if you came here yourself.
Roscommon is here; and they say there is
niece of Garcia's, lately appeared, who Is
likely to get up strong social sympathy lor
the old Mexican. don't know that they expect
to prove anything by her; but I'm told she IS
attractive and clever, and has enlisted the
sympathies of the delegation" Thatcher lald
the letter down a little Indignantly Strong
men are quite as liable as weak women are
TO sudden Inconsistencies on any question they
may have in common. What right mad THIS
Door little bud he had cherished-he was quite
satisfied now that he had cherished her, and
really had suffered from her absence-what
right had She to suddenly blossom in the sum
shine of power to be, perhaps, plucked and
worn by one of his enemies He did not agree
with his lawyer that she was in any way con-
nected with his enemies; he trusted to her
masculine loyalty that far. But here was
something vaguely dangerous to the feminine
mind-position, flattery, power. he was al
most as firmly satisfied now that he had been
wronged and neglected as he had been posi-
tive few moments before that he had been
remiss in his attention. The irritation, al
though momentary, was enough to decide this
strong man. He telegraphed to San Fran
cisco; and, having missed the steamer, Sc
cured an overland passage to Washington;
thought better of it, and partly changed his
mind an hour after the ticket was purchased;
but, manlike, once having made practical
step in wrong direction, be kept on rather
20 ON Inconsistency to himself. Yet